Picture holder



Nov. 12, 1946. V, 2,410,989

' PICTURE HOLDER Filed April 15, 1945 INVEN TOR GEORGE. G. MEV\ Patented Nov. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PICTURE HOLDER George G. Mevi, New York, N. Y. Application April 13, 1945, Serial No. 588,143

3 Claims.

This invention relates to picture holders. suitable as stands or easels or for hanging, and the object is to provide a holder having separable parts readily assembled by which a picture may be readily mounted and held fiat and having the least number of parts held together by a component of the holder thereby dispensing with separate clips or other fastening devices, and which may be constructed at low cost. I

The picture holder in the form of a stand or easel is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figures 1 and 2 are side and front elevations, respectively, of a stand suitable for photographs.

Figure 3 a perspective view of the back or main board of the picture stand and locking piece for retaining a picture in position, the looking piece being shown in the retracted or unlocked position preparatory to placing a picture and covering glass plate on the back-board, and

Figure 4 a perspective View illustrating the assembling of the back-board, picture, covering glass plate, and locking piece.

Referring to the drawing, I indicates the backboard of the picture holder, preferably composed of card-board, and having at the back of the top margin a locking bead formed by a reinforcing strip 2 extending across the width of board I and glued thereto. The front side of the lower margin of the back-board is reinforced by a strip which forms a base for the backboard. This strip is of sufficient thickness to permit the formation of a rabbet at the upper longitudinal margin so that the strip when secured to the back-board forms a mortise for receiving and retaining a picture. This rabbeted strip is preferably formed by gluing a narrow strip 3 and a wider strip 4 together and to the back-board so that the two strips with board I form a slot or mortise 5 which is provided for receiving and retaining the picture 6 and covering glass plate I as shown in Figure 4.

A removable sliding locking piece 8 is provided for engagement with looking bead 2 to lock the back-board I, picture 6 and covering glass plate I together at the top of the holder. This locking piece is in the form of a long block, preferably of cardboard, of a length equal to the width of board I and having a mortise 9 for engaging locking bead 2 and a mortise In for receiving and retaining the top margins of the picture and covering glass plate. The locking piece 8, as shown in Figure 3, is preferably composed of a wide back strip II; a narrower strip I2 glued to the inner side of strip II in alignment at the lower edges; a still narrower but thicker strip [3 glued to the inner side of strip II in alignment at the top edges and spaced from strip I2; a wide strip I4 narrower than strip II glued upon strip I3 in alignment at the top edges and providing a space between strips I2 and Hi; and a strip iii of the same width as strip II glued upon strip I4 in alignment at the top edges and providing a wider space between strips I2 and I5. Thus. the superimposed strips in cross-section form the mortise slot 9, a slot [6' for the thicknessv of the back-board, and mortise slot Ill for the picture and covering glass plate.

To support the holder in the upright position when used as a stand or easel, an angular shaped brace I8 is secured to the rear side of the backboard by a flange I9 which is preferably glued to the back-board as seen in Figures 1 and 2. The brace and flange in practice may be scored to facilitate bending into the supporting position of Figure 1 and to lie flat against the back-board when not in use. If desired the brace I8 and flange I9 may be in two separate pieces connected together by a strip of adhesive tape to form a hinge.

In practice board I, its locking bead 2, and base mortise piece 5 are covered with plain or figured or embossed colored paper, linen, leather or leatherette to provide the desired finish and conceal the joints at the edges of the parts comprising the back-board. Locking piece 8 will likewise be covered with a covering to match the covering of the backboard. Brace i8 and flange I9 likewise will be covered with a matchin covering material and such material may serve as a hinge for the brace when made in two separate pieces.

In assembling the holder with a picture, the sliding locking piece 8 is first withdrawn from the back-board as seen in Figure 3; then the picture B and covering glass plate I are placed upon the back-board with the lower margins thereof in the mortise slot 5; and then the locking piece 8 is slid into position as shown in Figure 4, bead 2 engaging in mortise slot 9 and mortis I9 engaging and retaining the picture and covering glass plate against the back-board. Thus it will be seen that a picture may be placed in position or removed by simply sliding the locking piece 8 into and out of locking position.

The picture holder shown and described may be of any desired size for different size photographs, or of larger size designed for use as a floor stand or easel in displaying large pictures or posters. When photographs or pictures are 3 mounted on the usual cards for photographs, or on heavy cardboard for posters, the glass covering plate may be dispensed with. Also the picture holder may be provided with a ring or other device as is common practice for hanging picture holders when desired.

What I claim is:

l. A holder for pictures composed of a backboard, a locking bead extending across the rear top margin of said board, a slotted base piece on the lower front margin of said board for retaining a picture at its lower horizontal margin, a sliding locking piece having a slot extending lengthwise thereof for engaging the front and rear upper margins of said board, said slot extending laterally at the top to form a mortise for engaging the locking bead, and extending laterally in the opposite direction at the bottom to form a mortise for retaining a picture at its upper horizontal margin.

2. A holder for pictures composed of a backboard, a narrow strip secured to and; extending laterally at the upper rear margin of said board to constitute a locking-bead, a wide strip secured at the lower front margin of said board having a rabbet at its upper longitudinal edge to form with the back-board a mortise for receiving and retaining a picture at its lower horizontal margin, and a slotted sliding locking-piece engaging the top margin of said board having a mortise for engaging the locking-bead on the rear side of said board and a rabbeted front lower edge forming with the board a mortise for engaging and retaining a picture at its upper horizontal margin.

3. A holder for pictures composed of a backboard, a locking-bead extending across the upper rear margin of said board, a rabbeted base-piece secured at the lower front margin of said board to form with the back-board a mortise for receiving and retaining a picture at its lower horizontal margin, and a slotted sliding locking-piece for engaging the front and rear sides of the upper horizontal margin of said board, said lockingpiece being composed of strips of difierent widths secured together, the outer strips of said lockingpiece being approximately of the same width, a narrower strip attached to the inner side of one of the outer strips with the lower edges in alignment, a similar strip attached to the inner side of the other outer strip with the upper edges in alignment, and a thick narrow strip secured between the outer strips with the upper edges in alignment, said three inner strips forming within the outer strips a slot for engaging the upper front margin of the back-board, a mortise for engaging the locking-bead on the rear side of the board, and a rabbet at the lower front edge of the locking-piece forming with the front upper margin of the board a mortise for engaging and retaining a picture at its upper horizontal margin.

GEORGE G. MEVI 

